Originally, I believe European lawyers were priests, and, perhaps, in this portion of the duties of the clergy in Abyssinia, we have at the present day, law practice as it existed amongst our ancestors in an early state of society. In making wills, it may be also observed, where a number of sons are left behind, the monks in Shoa are the only executors, three of them being closeted with the dying father, receive his commands, and after the celebration of the _tescar_, or funeral feast of the deceased, they then assemble the children, and divide what property is left, according to the verbal directions of the testator, and from their allotment there is no appeal, even if they should disinherit, with a single ahmulah, the son that has been supposed to have been the greatest favourite with the father. Tinta had made the visit to-day, to ask me if I would accompany him in the evening to visit Abdoanarch, the new governor, who had expressed a wish that I should call upon him. I excused myself upon the plea of ill-health; for I did not choose that it should be supposed because I was not upon good terms with the Embassy, that I was anxious to be friendly with those who avowed open hostility to the English, and all white men. Tinta naturally disliked the new governor, so soon agreed with me that he was a cunning old fox, and that it was as well to have as little to do with him as possible, “for,” said he, “he is older than you, and cleverer than I am, and he will make us, _missala oolet hiyahoitsh_, like two donkies, carry his grain to market.” Abdoanarch, although crafty, was not clever, and his first act as governor rather startled Sahale Selassee, for he released all the market people from paying the usual toll, and he ought to have known that the monarch did not bestow Aliu Amba upon him, for the purpose of purchasing popularity among some very restless subjects, the Mahomedans of Efat. No apparent disapprobation, however, was evinced at this, and the smiling Abdoanarch, proud in his place of honour by the side of the King, little suspected how admirably he was fooled to the top of his bent, like many others of far superior education were by the master mind that managed, like those of children, the shallow intellects that were politically opposed to him.